Sparking device.



y PATBNTED Dm, 41907 34A. MILLER ma. G..GILB0UGH..

SPARKING DEVICE. ArPLIoATIoN Fujii) 21:13.14, 190e.

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f UNITED STATES PATENT HARRY A. MILLER, or PAs'ADENA, cALIroR'NIA, AND

' ILLINOIS.

BENIAMINle GILBOUGH, lor CHICAGO.

SPARKING' DEV-Ion.

.speeincation or Letters Patent'.

' Patented.1)ec.'3, 1997.

Applioationfiled February 14. 1906. Serial No. 301.104.

To all/whom it may concern.' Y

Be it known that we, H'ARRY AJMILLER and BENJAMIN G. GILBOUGH, citizensof the United States, residing, respectively, at Pasv adena and Chicago,in the counties of vLos lAncgeles. and Cook andv States of Californiaan` Illinois, have invented a new and useful' Improvement in SparkinglDevices, of which' the following is a' specication.

` Our invention relates particularly to sparking 'devices for explosiveengines, having the general character'o'f the sparking de- I' vicedisclosed in Letters Patent N 0.805,7 90

granted to B. G.' Gilbough,'November'28th,

` broken y; Fig. 2, a sectionalview' o said de- `having screw connectionWith fpivot; and a binding post 127 vice in/a modiied form; and Fig. 3,a plan view of a spider or spring-holder, forming a part oftheconstruction shown in Fig. 2.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, A represents an engine-cylinder;and B our 1mproved sparking device applied thereto.

The device B comprises a tubular plug. b,

A the enginecylinder ga' cylinder b1 insulatingly mounted on the plug band secured thereto by .a nut b2; apiston b3 movable in the cylinder b1;a vibratory electrode b4 having ball j oint connect'ion with the innerend of the piston; an end cap b5 for the cylinder b1; a spring b6 whichserves both in retracting 'the piston and moving the vibratory electrodeupon its connected' by a screw bs to the endcap b5, the member 67 beingspring-held by means of a spring b9 and the screw b8 serving also in theadjustment ofthe tension of the spring 60. ^As shown, the cylinder b1opens at its inner end into the interior of the tubular plug b. Thepiston b3 is 'tubular in form, and has an inner end 111 through whichthe vibratory electrode b4 extends, the member b1 being provided on itslower surface With a half-socketfor a ball b,

Our primary object isto provide al prac- '1s provide constituting thevpivot'vdr vtrunnion of the member b4. The ball -is held Iin -,place bymeans of a removable socket-section?)12 a plied beneath the bottomportion bo'jof t e piston and -having a complementa] v half- "sphericalrecess for theball.I The u per end of the member b4 is equip ed Witjzahead' comprising a short arm 111i a apted ,to contact with one side ofthe interior ofthe cylinder,

Aas shown in Fig. 1, and a cam arm b1* havin an inclined surfaceb'adapted to en age an inclined cam surface bi", formed on t elin'teriorofthe cylinder b1, the surface b'16 forming the bottom wall of anannular' recess b1" Within jthe outer end portionA of the cylinder; Theupperortion ofthe vibratory electrode d)` with a guide slot 618,'- whichmoves on a'transverse guide-'pin 619 eXtending across the -bore of'y thepiston. The spring b is a coil-spring-whose ends are equipped with studsb2", having vspherical vheads `which fit in half-spherical recessesprovided on thehead of the -vibratoryelectrode and at the lower end ofthe screw bs.

Normally, the piston b3 occupies a position at the inner end of itsstroke, as shown in Fig 1, and the vibratory electrode occupies theposition shown with the 'arm 513 bearing against the inner wall of thetubular piston and the inner. end of the electrode out of coutact with astationary electrode b21 at the inner end of the tubular plug I). Whenthe piston moves outwardly, under the pressure of .the compressed gaswithin the enginecylinder, the vibratory electrode, vstill occupyingthe'position shown in Fig. 1, moves with the piston until thelower endof the vibratory electrode encounters the stationary electrode b, whenfurther movement or' the piston causes the electrode Zi* to turn u onIts pivot until the center oi the upper enr of Vthe vibratory electrodepasses the central axis of the piston, when the spring b operates toforce the upper'end'of the vibratory electrode as far to tlieoriglit aspossible', as viewed in Fig. 1, thereby breaking the contact between theelectrodes. In this operation, the arm 514 enters the recess b". In theret rn movement of the piston, after the gas pressure upon it has beenrelieved, the

. surface b of the arm b encounters the Surface b1 on the interior ofthe cylinder, thereby throwin the upper end of the lever b4 to the leftunti it asses the longitudinal central axis vof the cy lnder, whereuponthe spring vIL() b o erates to throw the vibratory electrode to t eposition shown in Fi 1.

A battery C is connected by conductors ncwith the outer end ofthesparking device and with the engine cylinder, it being understood thatthe engine-cylinder is in electrical connection with the. tubular plugb. It is obvious that the current will ass when the electro'des areclosed and Will'ge interrupted when the electrodes are separated therebyproducing a splark. The ball-joint connection between t e vibratoryelectrode and the piston is atin the spar 'ng device and obviating lossof pressure from the engine-cylinder.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, A represents an engine cylinder;and D a sparking device ap' lied thereto. In this form, the s arking revice comprises a tubular plug d, aving sc'rew connection with 'the 'theengine-cylinder; a cylinder d1 insulatingly carried by the lug d; a nutd2 securing the cylinder tot e tubular plug; a piston d3 within thecylinder d1; a vibratory electrode d4 mounted 'to be carried with Athepiston; an end cap d5 for the cylinder; a piston spring d encircling thecylinder d1, and having its inner Vend mounted on a spider (t7, Whoseupper end is equipped with arms d8, Which roject through slots d withwhich the cylin er is provided, the inner ends oi said arms bearing uponan external Harige d1 with which the piston is equi ped at its ,upperend; a nut d having threa ed connection with the exterior of the -up erportion of the cylinder and serving to a just the tension of thepiston-spring da; and a spring d confined between the up er portionofthe vibratory electrode and tlie inner wall of the iston d3 andserving normally to hold the vibratory electrode as shown in full linesin Fig. 2. The tubular lug d carries a stationary electrode (Z13 havinga slo 'in g surface adapted to engage asloping lsur ace d on the innerend ofthe vibratory electrode.

The piston d3 is of tubular form7 having an inner end d15 throu h whichthe vibratory electrode extendsysaid member d15 being provided on itslower surface with a socket-portion for receivin a ball d1, forming thetrimnion or pivot oft evibratoryelectrode. The complemental portion ofthe socketis provided in a removable socket-section d a lied at theinner end of the piston. T e Joint is such as to aiiord a gas-tightconnection between the piston and the vibrating electrode. A bindingpost d is connected with the member (Z5, and the lmember d5 is rovidedat its inner side with a recess d1",

aving at its upper ortion 'a conical wall d, adapted to engage t e outerend of the vibratory ele trede. When thepi'ston (1S-.moves outward yunder the pressure of the compressed gas within the'ei'igine-cylinder,it cargas-tight, or practically so, obvi-v anger of excessive heating ofthe ries with it'the vibratory electrode whose inner end is quicklybrought into contact *with the stationary electrode, causing theelectrode to vibrate to about the position indicated by dotted linesin'Fig. 2 whichbrings the .upper end of the vibratory electrode intoposition to engage the conical surfaced20 of the end-cap d5, furthermovement of the piston causing a completion of the vibratory movement inone direction and a break between the electrodes, the breach beingfurther widened by the movement of the surface d above the apex of thestationary electrode.

While the construction shown in Fig. 2 is somewhat more complex than theconstruction shown in Fig. 1 this construction, nevertheless, has anadvantage in the external arrangement of the iston-spring, providing forcirculation of the air. A- battery E is connected by conductors e withthe binding ost of the device and with the engine-cylinder, it beingunderstood that the enginecylinder is in electrical connection with. thetubular plug l). It is evident, therefore, that the circuit will beclosed when the electrodes are closed, and that an interruption of thecurrent will occur when the electrodes are separated, producing faspark.

What I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An ignition device comprising a cylinder having its innerl endadapted for communication with an engine cylinder and equipped with afixed electrode, a gas-actuated piston, and a vibratoryelectrode'disposed longitudinally of said cylinder and mounted upon andcarried by-the pistonhfor the purpose set forth.

2. An ignition device comprising a cylinderhaving its inner end adaptedfor communioation with an engine cylinderand equipped with a xedelectrode, a gas-actuated piston, and a vibratory electrode disposedlongitudinally of said cylinder and mounted upon and carried by theiston and having a gas-ti h t joint therewit for the purpose set forth.

3. An ignition device comprising a cylinder' having its'inner endadapted for communication with an engine cylinder, a gasactuated pistonof tubular form having an inner end provided with a socket-section, avibratory electrode having an enlarged pivotal portion received by saidsocket-section, said electrode extending through the end of the piston,and a removable socket-section -piston movable in the cylinder of thedevice,

ico

for connection with an engine-cylinder, a cylavibratin electrodeextending through the piston an having a` gas-tight joint there# With,and yielding means for maintaining the piston normally at the innerend-of its stroke,

,. and the vibratoryelectrode normally out of contact with thestationary electrode and inv position to be engaged,I by the stationaryelectrode upon the initial movement of thepiston under the action of gasressure. l

' 5. An ignition device comprislng a tubular plug adapted for connectionwith an engine-l cvlinder, a cylinder insulatingly mounted thereon andin communication With said plug, a piston movable in said cylinder, a vi:and affording a socket for a ba inder insulatingly mounted onsaidtubular plug and in communication With the interior thereof, a tubularpiston movable in said second-named cylinder, and having an inner endwith a removable section aplied thereto electrode equipped with a ballwithin said socket, an oblique spring tending to maintain saidelectrodel in an oblique position, a

cam-arm carried by the upper end ofsaid electrode, and a-cam in theupper'portionof the cylinder of the device'adapted to engae said cam-armduring the retraction of e piston, for the purpose set forth. y

HARRY A. MILLER.

I vBENJAll/l-IN'Gr. GILBOUGH.

Witnesses:

' L. HEISLAR,

M. S. MAoirENzIE A. U. THORIEU,- J.. H. LANDES.

a vibratory

